'Craigslist Killer' found dead

Murder suspect Philip Markoff was found dead of an apparent suicide in his jail cell Sunday morning.

Sources said Markoff, a former medical student, cut an artery in his leg and neck and put a plastic bag over his head.

Markoff had been held without bail since his high-profile arrest in April of 2009.

An officer who works inside the Boston jail where Markoff was held said he was held in a single-cell bunk, that he kept to himself and often times did not come out for breakfast.

In a statement released on Sunday, officials said, "Markoff was found unresponsive in his cell and pronounced dead at 10:17 this morning" and that "he was alone in his cell and all evidence thus far indicates he took his own life."

The one-time medical student was accused of killing masseuse Julissa Brisman and also suspected in two other assaults against women he allegedly met on Craigslist.

Among the evidence against him in the Brisman shooting was a gun found in a hollowed-out anatomy book and panties he allegedly stole after beating his victims.

Saturday would have been his one-year wedding anniversary to his fiancée, who left him following his arrest.

"I'm very shocked and saddened by the news," said Markoff's lawyer.

Shortly after his arrest in April 2009, Markoff attempted to kill himself with his shoe laces.

At that time he was placed on suicide watch and in a restraint jacket.

An officer inside the jail said inmate checks are done every 30 minutes, so investigators are working to discover how long Markoff had gone unchecked, when was he last seen alive, and how he received whatever it is he used to commit suicide.